Stranger Side
by TheAllisons
Summary: Whatever the world was like before her generation, it wasnt perfect like people thought and dreamt about. Even if it was beautiful to gaze upon, underneath it was laced with deadly poison.
1. Chapter 1

# Stranger Side: Prologue #  
If life was a fairytale then the story wouldnt go like this.

Once upon a time there was a rich fertile country, the inhabitants were peaceful. While the people fattened their livestock and baked their bread King Leonardo brought up his two sons. Years past and the peace kept...Then one day, when the sun shone and the fruit grew heavy on the trees, a visiting lord named Richard had a rather loud disagreement with the King. It caused way more trouble than it was worth. Insults were thrown across the room, and at one point the King was referred to as "an old fool".

When the youngest son of King Leonardo heard of the arguement, he grew angry at the disrespect towards his father and broke the other man's nose.

Of course both of them apolagized, though the prince still glared as he nursed his bruised hand.  
Lord Richard left the kingdom and headed home the very next evening. The days passed and life seemed to be back to its usual pace, and then the dark arrived, bringing all the fires of hell with it.

The third morning after he left, the serving maid found the young prince stone cold in his bed.

Poisoned.

The King raged and grieved, he swore to make the murderer pay with a thousand times more suffering than poison. He searched and searched for the culprit, and then one day his advisor admitted to overhearing the boy arguing again with the Lord Richard only hours after their first disagreement. Later evidence was found that Richard hadnt really left until the night before the boy was found dead. No-one ever knew what really happened. Did Richard really kill the prince out of spite, or were there darker forces involved? Maybe it had nothing to do with him or anyone else from those parts, maybe it was an accident.

None of that mattered to the king, his child was dead.

He had no choice but to go to war.

His country had been peaceful for so long, so his army was weak and uncoordinated. Nobody expected this if all things. The panic and confusion spread like wildfire. The crops died and the cattle got sick, and the people whispered behind each others backs of witchcraft.

The King paid them no heed, and by the next full moon they were marching to war. Among the weathered archers and swordsmen were boys just beginning to grow hair on their chins. Some of them would sit awake all night shaking with fear, knowing that the chances of ever seeing their homes again were slim. The rest would be obliviously pulled along with the taste of steel and glory in their minds. They didn't think, didn't know, that they could bleed like anyone else.

Lord Richard's own personal army was smaller in size, but they made up for that with properly trained men and good well oiled weapons. And when things appeared to get a little sticky, then Lord Richard called in his allies to fight.

Leonardo believed that war was exactly what Richard wanted, and perhaps it was, for it was said that he laughed aloud when he heard of the Prince's death.  
While Leonardo was fighting to get close enough so his hands fit around Richards thick neck, his other son, Finn, was desperately trying keep the kingdom from falling into the slums.  
The food was scarce, and the sun never seemed to fully shine like it used to. Injured soldiers poured in and out every day, a lot of them were missing limbs and couldn't go back to fight again.

Prince Finn realised over time that he was running out of options, he had tried everything, everything but the impossible. Now the time had come to change tactics.

A man named Professor Jack Quinn, a scientist and a madman, was the last thing Leonardo would have considered, but Finn was a different man from his father. He saw something real among through the haze of insanity.

This scientist had ideas that changed the course of history. And Finn was going to help make them happen.  
Professor Quinn wanted to build war machines, his ideas were spectacular. Some of them were terrifying, unthinkable. He didn't want to build out of wood and brick, he didn't want to build ships that sailed. He wanted to build ships that flew. When Finn finally began to get an image in his mind, that they were going to be like kites, Quinn blew him away completely by announcing that they were to be made of metal.

Nobody had ever heard of such a thing. How would they float? How could they possibly when they weighed tons?  
Maybe Quinn really was crazy, or maybe there was an even crazier possibility. It was going to work.  
Two years later the war still raged on, and even more countries were getting involved. Quinn had workers building all night long to get his ships made. None of them had been tested, and the news of the machines was kept strictly secret. The enemy must not know. Everyone who knew of these ships was praying for a miracle, praying that all the smoke and grit wasn't for nothing.

Quinn had developed new idea, and he pondered it as he watched the first ship take flight. They had come to a new age. An age where there were no lines to cross, no rules he had to follow. He was going to make the world a vaster, more magnificent place.

If this was a fairy tale then everybody would live happily ever after, Professor Quinn's inventions would save the world from war and poverty. There would be no more death.

But this isn't a tale to be told to young children, simply because it doesn't end pleasantly, in fact it hasn't ended at all. It has only just begun. 


	2. Chapter 2

Emma was told by some that she was lucky to be alive, others treated her like a child because of her memory loss. Eight years of her life forgotten. Ten years trying to remember.

She hated the stories of what happened. They said her family was attacked by a group of bloodthirsty cyborgs and killed.

Her parents and brother gone.

Murdered.

Emma had hidden away in the cellar when she heard the screaming and was knocked on the head by falling debris. They said that the blow was the reason for her memory loss.

If that was true then she would never forgive herself. How could she have sat huddled and scared while her family was slaughtered?

Maybe not remembering wasn't a curse but a blessing.

She had woken up with her head bandaged in bed with no idea what had happened. At first the doctors thought that she was in shock and this would wear off. And then after days it became apparent that she wasn't recovering. They said there was still some chance of her remembering, but after ten long years without a single fragment of recollection, everyone gave up hope, including herself.

Her Uncle was one of the strangers that visited her while she was in injured, she remembered him almost breaking down at the sight of her lying there, but she couldn't feel the slightest bit of remorse herself. How could she when they were all strangers? Family or no family, she didn't know them.

They became a story, nothing more.

And Emma, the little girl that was loved and cared for, was nothing but a myth.

She was now Em, a quiet and somber girl who didn't play with the other children in the little garden, but sat by herself with a book. She had an Uncle and two cousins who believed she was wasn't right in the head. They looked at her with both fear and pity in their eyes. Could they see a resemblance of their lost family in her?

In the end she was glad to leave that old house. She thought they were glad also when she ran away that night. What use was she anyway? She was nothing but a frail little girl with no chance of finding a husband, she wasn't left any money or land by her parents. The house they had lived in those many years ago was burnt down the same night of the slaughter, along with all the family fortune.

She was reduced to begging by the time one of her cousins, Graham, found her and offered her a job working for him. He said it wasn't a lady's work, but it was the only choice.

She made him promise to never tell the rest of her family, and then started her new life as a servant. She worked to cook and clean for the soldiers who hunted down cyborgs. Graham was one of the few leaders, and he was often out for weeks on end.

Sometimes months.

The other servants didn't get used to her strangeness for a long time. Why did she have smooth pale noblewomans hands? Why was she never joining in the joking and the occasional drinking of rum after a hard days work?

Instead she would sit by herself staring into nothingness. There were rumours that she had a sweetheart and was pining for him.

Some were convinced that she was not right in the head and were afraid of her. Was she insane like those cyborgs. Did she have a mechanical foot or a replaced joint? The part only needed to be over five inches and they would be affected. Their brains couldn't handle the metal in their bodies. It would start with strange moods and anger at nothing, it would continue until they felt no need of anything but to kill,maim and destroy at all cost.

They had to be destroyed.

Em was told that when Professor Jack Quinn announced his new invention, the ability to recreate limbs out of metal, he was the saviour of the people. But then, months after when soldiers were recovering from surgery replacing body parts lost in the war, realisation struck in. It wasn't assassins and rebels who were wreaking havoc across the city, burning down houses and killing. It was the kings men.

Em rolled over in her hard bed. She had fallen asleep thinking of her family. The living ones.

Did they miss her? Did they wonder if she survived that first cold winter? She could imagine what they were thinking, how could young woman make a living in the streets without help? Much less Em, who was too dim to think for herself.

Graham had even discreetly asked her if she had worked at the brothel.

She didn't talk to him for three days after that.

She shivered.

Winter was almost over, but still the cold bit deep and chilled the very marrow in her bones. Her dreams had been interrupted by the cold that crept between her sheets and numbed her.

She shivered again and pulled back the curtains. A grey patch in the inky sky told her that the moon was at its nigh. She remembered stories of how the sky used to shine every night with billions of stars, every morning the sun would creep across the sky and everything would be golden, green and bright as a fire. There were wonderful bubbling streams full of fresh sweet water and fat fish. They said it was heaven.

She said they were ridiculous fantasies. How could a world so full of beauty and light be converted into something so terrifying and dark? Whatever the world was like before her generation, it wasnt perfect like people thought and dreamt about. Even if it was beautiful to gaze upon, underneath it was laced with deadly poison.

Why else would the war have started?

Em closed her eyes and thought of a nice warm happy place that would fight away the demons, and then eventually slipped into oblivion.

The next morning found her cousin returned from his dangerous mission. He had been to the west of the city this time. Em didn't know what he found there, but she didn't bring up the subject. She learned a long time ago that she would be better off not knowing.

She noticed he had a funny look in his eyes as as she handed him a plate of food. He always ate a lot, so she gave him two thick slices of roasted mutton, half a loaf of bread with raisins in it and a mug of ale. For a soldier, a meal like that would be handed to them maybe a couple of times a year. Most food was grown indoors or it would end up tough and bitter from the chemicals ships left in the air.

Most days a good meal would be lumpy porridge with some hard bread.

Graham didn't show any sign surprise at this welcome gift, he didn't even look at her while he ate, so she made herself appear busy while not straying too far from where he sat.

Eventually he pushed the plate away and stood up. Still not looking her in the eye, he thanked the cook and turned to leave.

She excused herself and quickly hurried after him.

The hallway was busy even though day had only just begun, and she had to push pass several people to catch up with him.

"Wait, I want to talk to you cousin." She grabbed his arm to slow him down. He turned to face her, and she suddenly felt guilty, he looked unwell. He had been away risking his life, and then here she was manipulating him to get what she wanted.

She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, what I meant to say was, can I please talk to you in private when you have a spare moment?"

"Why? Is this the reason for your bribery?" He scowled.

"Bribery?" She tried to sound surprised.

"You know what I'm talking about... The food. Good real meat. Fine soft bread and that lovely ale. How on earth did you persuade the cook to give me that?"

She blushed furiously. "I paid her." And It cost a large percentage of her weekly wages.

Not he really did look angry."How can you be so stupid - I mean... I'm sorry Em. I didn't mean that." Now he was the one looking guilty. Her own cousin of all people knew how bad that insult hurt her. He shuffled his feet. "Tell me what you want."

Em played with a strand of hair that had come loose from her headscarf. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure Graham could hear it.

"I want to be one of your soldiers."

"Why?" Any shame that showed on his face a second ago was replaced by something else. Dread. "That is the worst possible thing you could have said. You know I will never let you do that... But do you know something? I'm not surprised, I knew this would happen any day now. I've seen you sitting in the kitchen looking as if you're life is already over..." He paused for a moment, his brow furrowed. "Em... Have you considered going back home... I know it would be hard for you after all this time, but maybe you will find that its better that way."

Em tried to swallow down the rage that was bubbling inside her. And then she found she was also holding back tears. "Home? That place has never been my home and it never will be... All those years when you sat together in a big, happy family and I was left out on my own. I was never welcome there. The only family I had died eight and a half years ago... And I should have been with them, instead of hiding like a coward."

Graham looked pale. When he spoke his voice was quiet but she heard every word. Even the ones she didn't want to hear.

"Emma, you were always welcome. The only reason you weren't joining in with us was because you didn't want to be. You wanted to be left alone. But you were still part of our family, you still are... My father believes that you are dead, did you know that? I want to tell him he's wrong but I can't, I promised you." She heard him clear his throat but she didn't look up at him when he continued. "I can't let you be a soldier because its too dangerous."

"Then I'll find someone who will." She wouldnt have to look very far. Woman were accepted as soldiers nowadays because the country needed more fighters, and the men didnt seem to be able to be enough anymore. Of course very few woman actually did it. But it wasn't unheard of.

For a minute Graham looked panicked and then his face settled into a . "Alright I'll get someone to train you, but you will nothing not too dangerous. A woman's bodyguard or something. You won't get yourself into trouble, promise me."

"I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

_Two years ago_

Rainwater had filled the gutters and flowed through the street, all was dark and silent save an occasional squeak and pattering of feet from the rats who were desperate to stay dry. The sky had opened up and poured down at mid-afternoon and hadn't ceased since. Anyone with an ounce of common sense was inside their homes. But there were some unlucky people who had nowhere to go.

A slight figure passed under a lantern, she was clutching a knife with numb hands, she looked slightly out of breath and her cheeks were flushed despite the cold. A strand of fiery red hair had come loose and it was like a bright banner waving to be noticed, even in the dim light. She seemed to have enough sense to tuck it back under her hood.

It was unusual for a comely young woman to be out and about at that time of night, these were dangerous times.

If someone was watching they might say that she was a nobleman's daughter, sneaking out to meet her lover.

And then she turned to look behind her and all signs of being a innocent girl vanished. There it was, clear as day.

That flash of silver was what caught the eye, a deadly sign of being one of them. It was on the right side of her face, a horrible distortion from her jaw to her eye. It even crept along her neck in long silvery veins.

Even the most cruel scum that was hidden in the shadows seemed to draw back in horror. That thing, it used to be a human. A girl. Now it was nothing but a monster.

Maybe it was an accident, maybe she had been injured and had the operation before she realised the consequences, maybe she hated what she had become... Or she could be one of those who wore their disagreement as a trophy, and believed that the malicious coldblooded hatred was a gift.

There was a shout in the distance, and the sound of running. Soldiers, come to take her away. That was a good thing. It deserved to die.

The girl pulled her cloak tighter against the cold, and slipped silently into a dark alleyway. She sucked in a breath when she kicked something lying across her path, but she didn't stop.

There was no time. She stumbled blindly along the dark alleyway, her only guide the wall. Her fingertips trailed along the damp bricks, and her feet managed to keep from tripping in the darkness.

She sent a silent prayer to the heavens. If her memory served her right, then the ship was right at the end of this building. If not, then she might as well give herself up.

She peered around the corner, clutching her knife in her hand.

There were no lights from the windows of houses, everyone was asleep at that hour, the road was wet from the rain, and it reflected the light of the flaming torch.

She was about to step out from the shadows when a when a broken and wheezing voice spoke behind her.

"Wait... There's someone there. "

She froze, frantically scanning the darkness in the alleyway. She could just see the faint lines of bricks on the wall, and some dark mounds which she assumed before were rubbish.

She shrank against the wall, and then slowly flicked her eyes back into the open street.

Everything looked exactly the same as before, and she began to think she imagined the voice out of tiredness, or perhaps she was crazy .

She shuddered, and shook off the self loathing, then leaned forwards to flee.

And then she saw it. Only moments before she had thought the torch was sitting on the street corner to light the way, and perhaps it was. But it wasn't alone. A soldier sat huddled against the cold, sheltered by the wall from the rain. He was near invisible unless you were looking hard.

She looked back into the darkness behind her, still seeing no sign of the body that should come with the ghostly voice. After a moments hesitation she fished around in her purse and tossed three copper pennies on the ground for him to find.

A beggar? She didn't envy him living in the street with nothing but rats to keep him company.

"Thank you for warning. " She said, keeping her voice low. "It will be much appreciated."

"You're welcome." There was a quiet cough. "Though I won't be needing money where I'm going."

She didn't ask where he was going, because she understood all too well. She was in the same situation he was in not very long ago, and death would have been a blessing. She didn't ask if he had family or friends who could help him, because if he did then he wouldn't be in there In the first place.

So instead she waited, waited for him to realise what she was, what she could be.

"Aren't you scared of me?"

When he didn't answer, she did something that she might regret. When she had the operation for her burns, she had asked for one favour. One thing a lonely little girl could ask for in the big dark world.

A light.

They didn't put it where she expected, on her face, but somewhere else where she wasn't burnt. The palm of her hand. If she had a chance to take that one shining beacon away, she wouldn't. Even if it meant living a life of fear and hatred.

So today, when she stood in that alleyway with danger all around, she did what seemed like a good idea at the time.

When she switched the light on, she made sure it was dim, and she sheltered by her other hand. The cool glow shone exactly where she wanted it to. Finally she could see.

"Oh god... what have they done to you?" it was impossible to hold back the horror that crept into her voice.

The man lay on the ground, he had one and covering his eyes from the sudden bright light. Blood covered soaked his clothing and face, his cloak was was ripped and torn. She knew at a glance what he was.

She looked over her shoulder at the silent soldier. She guessed he was sleeping.

The injured man still squinted up at her, his face white.

"I'm going to help you. " Her voice shook. "What is your name?"

The silence stretched out, and she wondered if he would survive the night. There was a lot of blood.

Was it all his own?

When he spoke, she was surprised the clarity of his voice.

"It's Frank... My name is Frank."


End file.
